Syllabus:Intercultural Awareness Development PSY 6121:1.5 Units Section A-1:Monday 1-4 PM and Section A-2 Wednesday 1-4 PM Co-Faculty: XXXX and Stephen R. BlumFall Semester, 2009 On Ghettos So long as the most vulnerable people in our population are consigned to places that the rest of us will always shun and flee and view with fear, I am afraid that educational denial, medical [and mental health] and economic devastation, and aesthetic degradation will be virtually inevitable; and this, I am afraid, will be the case no matter what the individual or even shared achievements of small numbers of good human beings who are infused with the essential heroism...So long as there are ghetto neighborhoods and ghetto hospitals [and ghetto mental health services] and ghetto schools, I am convinced that there will be ghetto desperation, ghetto violence, and ghetto fear because a ghetto is itself an evil and unnatural construction.(p. 162) Kozol, J.(1996). Amazing Grace: The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation.New York, NY:Harper Perennial.(Italics and inserted words in [brackets] in this quotation have been added by SRB). On “Diversity Workshops,” One Important View “I hate diversity workshops,” she [Michelle Obama] says.“Real change comes from having enough comfort to be really honest and say something very uncomfortable.” Michelle Obama in a New York Times interview on 6/18/08. On The Life and Death of Hope La Esperanza muere ultima. (Hope dies last). Course Description The class is designed to facilitate an increased understanding of cultural identity; provide a forum to discuss and better understand cultural differences; explore the mechanisms and consequences of prejudice, oppression, and discrimination on minority groups; and to explore some of your personal beliefs about human differences.Ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, social class, and disability will be examined.The class will combine discussion, didactic presentations, video and experiential exercises in addressing these issues.The class will meet for eight sessions during the fall semester and again for eight sessions in the spring semester. In this first semester of the class the emphasis will be on understanding these issues in light of what we have come to know about these topics in the literature, and what some of the social context and context of that growing and diverse literature are.In the second semester the emphasis will be on developing cultural competence in your present and future clinical work with multicultural populations including exploration of those socio-cultural and personal barriers to effective interventions. Our Class Objectives 1.Having students become aware of themselves as cultural beings. Questions the class will present and assesses include:What is your own cultural heritage (if you think or wish you do or do not have one) and what role does it play or not in your life?How does your heritage influence your worldview and your values?What are the variations of cultural experiences and how do they impact self-perceptions and responses from others?(If you are one of the many persons who have no particular sense of a cultural heritage for yourself, what does that mean for you?Is it developmentally useful to acknowledge your history or, possibly, a (mixed?) blessing not to be particularly aware of and concerned with this area of your life? 2.Having students become aware of their own values, biases and assumptions about human behavior.Questions which the class will have presented and will assess include:What stereotypes, perceptions, and beliefs do you hold about culturally different groups?What influence does this have on how you relate to others, in your past, present, and potentially in your future as well?What are the worldviews you may bring to the clinical encounter and to your role as a professional psychologist?Without awareness and understanding of our own biases and assumptions psychologists may inadvertently assume that everyone shares (or should share) their worldview.When this happens, we may well become responsible for cultural oppression, whereby we impose our own values on our culturally different clients.The social and clinical consequences of such actions, however intended or not, need care examination. 3.Having students acquire knowledge and understanding of the worldview of minority or culturally different groups and clients.Questions which the class will have presented and will assess include:What biases, values, and assumptions about human behavior do many different cultural, ethnic groups hold?Can anyone say that there is an African American, or Asian American, or Latino/Hispanic, or Native American “worldview?”Do other culturally different groups (such as women, the disabled, persons who identify as LGBTQ [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and those who are questioning], etc. often also have different worldviews?Knowledge of the history, life experiences, cultural values of culturally different groups in the United States and,to the extent possible, internationallyas well is crucial to becoming an effective culturally competent (and continuously questioning) professional clinical psychologist. 4.Having students develop an understanding of the operation of oppression and privilege.Questions which will be presented and which will be assessed include:Who are the oppressed and privileged in our society?How does this oppression and privilege manifest in individual lives and with what social and psychological effects?What are some of the long and short term psychological effects of oppression?Can oppression damage the client, and, if so, how?Can oppression be carried forward and manifested by the clinician, and, if so, how and with what possible outcomes? 5.Students will also be introduced to principles of culturally sensitive clinical practice that will include both an appreciative and a critical examination of the utilization of traditional clinical therapeutic approaches with these populations. Evaluation Criteria for the Class Your work is assessed based on three facets of requirements for the class:(a) your contributions to the class (35%), (b) your weekly Journal (35%), and (c) your term paper (30%).This class does not issue a letter grade; all students will receive either Credit or No Credit and not a standard letter grade. Readings Any article or book that is required or recommended reading and that is not available on-line has been placed on Reserve for this course in our library.Most of videos we use in the class are either easily available Required Readings 1.Ridley, C. R. (2005).Overcoming Unintentional Racism in Counseling and Therapy.Second Edition, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 2.Lee, Wanda M.L., Blando, J.A., Mizelle, N.D. and Orozo, G.L. (2007).Introduction to Multicultural Counseling for Helping Professionals.Second Edition.New York:Routledge. 3E-Reserves of articles noted on the weekly syllabus which follows..We have sought to make maximum use of literature that is available online from the AIU E-Reserve systems in a full text pull-down fashion so that you may read anywhere anytime.This is all explained on an AIU E-Reserve FAQ sheet attached as the last page of this syllabus. A Baker’s Dozen of Suggested Readings Which Are NOT Required (alphabetical by author) 1.Erdrich, Louise (2006).The Painted Drum.New York, NY:Harper Perennial. 2.Fadiman, A. (1998).The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down:A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures.New York, NY:Farrar, Strauss and Giroux. 3.Goldstein, E.L. (2006).The Price of Whiteness:Jews, Race, and American Identity.Princeton, NJ:Princeton University Press. 4.Jensen, R. (2005).The Heart of Whiteness:Confronting Race, Racism and White Privilege.San Francisco, CA:City Lights Books. 5.Kivel, Paul (2002).Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work For Social Justice.Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Canada:New Society Publishers. 6.Michaels, W.B. (2006).The Trouble With Diversity:How We Learned to Love Identity and Ignore Inequality.New York, NY:Holt) 7.Parham, T.A., White, J.A., and Ajamu, A. (1999, or later edition).The Psychology of Blacks: An African Centered Perspective.New York, Prentice-Hall. 8.Piper, Mary (2002).The Middle of Everywhere:Helping Refugees Enter the American Community.New York, Harcourt. 9.Sue, D. W. (2003).Overcoming Our Racism:The Journey To Liberation.San Francisco:Jossey-Bass. 10.Sue, D. W. and Sue, D. (2007).Counseling the culturally different: theory and practice.(5th Edition)New York: John Wiley and Sons.(Any of the multiple editions are fine). 11.Tatum, B. T. (2004)."Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?"New York, NY:Basic Books. 12.Tuan, M (2003).Forever Foreigners or Honorary Whites?The Asian Ethnic Experience Today.New Brunswick, NJ:Rutgers University Press. 13.Wise, Tim (2005).White Like Me:Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son.Brooklyn, NYC, NY:Soft Skull Press, paperback. Class Requirements 1.Attendanceat class sessions is required, as is keeping current with assigned weekly readings.Class meetings combine faculty presentations, discussion of assigned readings, videos, and other activities.You will find that much of what occurs in the class, both in terms of content and tone, cannot be made up. 2.Missed Class:If you must miss a class session: (a) if possible please notify one of the instructors beforehand, and (b) please select a fellow student in the class to discuss the content of the class that you missed, and (c) see one of the instructors for a written assignment (which will be a two to three page paper covering the topic and reading for that session) that will be done in lieu of the class you missed. 3.We expect that all class members willparticipate in discussions in class.An important part of learning in a course like this is coming to understand ourselves and others in what may be a new or different ways.Toward this end, we encourage active and candid discussion.It is expected that students and faculty alike will all work hard to help create a class where such discussions can be undertaken with ongoing respect for all. We know that candid and expressive discussion is not a part of the learning process in some cultures, and we are sensitive to this fact.We strongly emphasize the need and value of your participation and, in turn, we promise to do our very best to both welcome and be sensitive to the diverse perspectives, cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds of the students in the class.If this poses what you believe will be a concern for you, please do see us as early as possible in the semester so that we may be aware early of any of these considerations. It is important to emphasize the overarching importance of the confidentiality of our discussions.The value of confidentiality cannot be over-emphasized; it is a keystone of the profession.Anyone responsible for breaking the confidentiality of the classroom in any way and any setting will be immediately referred immediately by us to your Program Director as well as the Student Evaluation and Review Committee (SERC) with our strong recommendation that serious academic disciplinary action be taken immediately.Respect and value your classmates, both inside and outside of our class; all of you are fellow mental health professionals-in-training. 4.All students will maintain a weekly Journal of their class experiences, which centers on your reactions to the assigned readings, visual materials and the discussion and events of the class itself that week.Journal entries should be made as soon as possible after each class so that you include your fresh thoughts and reactions to class discussions, activities, and readings.We expect thoughtful and substantive content rather than quickly jotted notes; your journal entries should be a minimum three real paragraphs in length on average.Journals will be read only by course faculty, and they will be regarded as confidential documents.Journals will be turned in for review two times during the semester. 5.The first set of journals is due after our class has met for the 4th time, and should be turned in on or before October 6th & 8th .If you have composed your journals on a computer, e-submissions (to sblum@alliant.edu) are welcome; if you have handwritten them, turn in your hardcopy, whichever is most convenient for you. . 6.Students are required to write a short term paper, between 6-9 pages in length. Early planning for the preparation of the papers is essential, as you may be sure that the semester will fly by.When you prepare and write your papers, please remember to: (a) Relate your paper to class readings, videos, discussions, and related activities, and (b) The paper must be written in APA style, have citations as appropriate, and also an accompanying APA format bibliography, and (c)Bloated prose and rhetorical filler are not at all valued and are not at all worthy of you, and, finally, your combination of candor, insight, thoughtful and careful writing, and self-examination are all paramount. MoreAbout the Final Paper for the Fall Semester of Our IAD Class:A Brief Journey & A Small Immersion Our last class meeting of the semester will be XXXX.Your mini-immersion paper, however, is not due until the last week of the semester that is by Friday XXXX.Early submissions are welcome, either in Stephen Blum’s faculty mail box, or as an e-mail attachment to sblum@alliant.edu . The paper involves your taking a brief journey to a new world or worlds. To be more concrete: For the paper the student will recount his or her experiences in making entry into a different cultural setting than your own and different from any you have previously experienced.For example, a student who is not African-American might attend services and/or meetings of a youth group at an African-American church on several occasions; or a heterosexual student might spend time in a place or places that is frequented by members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) communities; or you might spend some time in a nursing home or retirement (assisted living) facility where the population is made up of residents who are much older than you AND of a different race or ethnicity than your own; or you might spend time in a Single Room Occupancy (SRO) hotel in someplace like the Tenderloin in San Francisco; or you might spend some time with homeless persons or homeless families (in or out of a shelter), etc.Electronic submissions are encouraged, hard copies welcome, whatever is easier for you. As you prepare for the visits for your paper--- that is as you prepare to undertake your stepping outside of what is familiar for you---please keep in mind:you are not to be either a patronizing or intrusive voyeur, nor are you a “clinician,” nor are you to be the person who sees themselves or is seen as either a therapist, an anthropologist or field researcher.Your goal, instead, is to place yourself in settings and have interactions such that you come to know a bit more about what for you were heretofore quite or totally unfamiliar and thence to get a feeling for the lives and worlds of persons and groups that are substantially different from your own and persons you know.You are to stretch yourself---while being and staying safe! ---and thus expand what you know, see and feel and learn new things from new people in new settings.For a large gathering (e.g., the Folsom Street Fair or similar events,) we ask that you make the journey alone, do not take pictures, and not be a “tourist.” Do feel free to meet up with friends after you have been alone at the event for some time.For smaller settings you need not make your voyage(s) alone.No joint-author papers, you are the sole author.. Your faculty are all-too aware of the constraints which will not allow us to devote time to the clinical implication of working with several other populations, not least of whom are Native Americans; immigrants from all over the world; persons with more than one ethnic, cultural background; victims of social or political events such as “ethnic cleansing,” or working with persons from non-Western cultures, inside or outside of their native land.If you should wish to do your Final Reflection Paper concerning one of these “minority” groups (some of these persons, are, in fact, often the “majority” in their own countries), that is both welcome and encouraged.See us if you have questions or need assistance. Questions for Thought In each of the weekly sessions which are described below you will find a sub-heading called Questions for Thought. These questions relate to the topic that week and are included to push your thinking about these issues.The weekly Questions For Thought are not an additional assignment.They may guide some of your thinking as you prepare your journal entries and in formulating your thoughts that will be in your final reflection paper.Some students have used one or more of those Questions for Thought as the theme or starting point for their journal entries; that choice is yours.Use the Questions for Thought as you wish, and we hope you find them helpful in the self-questioning process. Our Office Hours We encourage students to make appointments to meet with us should they wish.While we hope that students would feel comfortable addressing many questions and concerns in class discussions, we also know that you may wish to also have the opportunity to have a private meeting with one or both faculty members. We are pleased to meet with you in the office which we share, either by appointment, by seeing us or by e-mail to work out and set up a mutually convenient appointment time. XXXXStephen R. Blum, Ph.D. XXXXCampus Office: Room 128 Campus Phone:415-955-2132 E-mail: sblum@alliant.edu Providing for Additional Student Needs:Accommodations We are pleased to facilitate work in this class for any of our students in need of accommodations, by virtue of a disability or other circumstance.You are urged to see us in confidence as early in the semester as possible so that we might be aware of your circumstances and aid you in making arrangements to assure your success in the class and the University. It is our pleasure to work closely with Dr. Nina Ghiselli, the University Disability Services Coordinator (she may be reached directly in her office in Room 116, or by phone at 415-955-2164 or via e-mail,nghiselli@alliant.edu ).Please do see us AND Dr. Ghiselli at your earliest convenience with any questions you may have in this regard. Class Meeting Dates, Topics, and Reading Assignments Intercultural Awareness Development PSY 6121:3 Units Section A-1:Monday 1-4 PM And Section A-2 Wednesday 1-4 PM Fall Semester, 2009 September 8, 2008 Introduction and Overview Class Number 1 of 8 Sharing some of our hopes and fears for the class.Introduction of ourselves through the prism of our personal cultural histories and memories.Introduction to the main themes of the class: prejudice; stereotypical thinking, beliefs, and actions.Exploring your feelings which doubtlessly include concerns that “I have done all this before in lots of classes,” or “how can I seek to be both PC and not PC at the same time and not embarrass the hell out of myself” or “this is kinda scary.”An introduction to some of the central themes of the class which will include exploring our own countertransference issues; and the understanding, use, and abuse of power and privilege that can occur when working with persons who are (often quite) different than us. Readings 1. Scan the book by Ridley 2. Kutchins, H., Kirk, S.A., Making Us Crazy: DSM: The Psychiatric Bible and the Creation of Mental Disorders, Chapter 2, "The Enduring Legacy of Racism in the Diagnosis of Mental Disorders," (New York: The Free Press, 1997), pp 200-237. Questions for Thought 1.Seek to answer for yourself the question:“My major fears or hesitancy about a class like this is what?”Might your answer to this question change topic by topic and week by week during the course? 2.Why does this class, and the profession itself at present, contain so few persons of color, and notably also so few males, much less even fewer males of color? 3.If you were to pose a single difficult challenge to yourself for this class to developing your own sense of multicultural competence, what would it be? September 15 and 17, 2008 Prejudice andCountertransference With Persons, Beliefs, and Behaviors (Sometimes Vastly) Different Than Our Own Prior Experiences and Our Own (Acknowledged or Unacknowledged) Expectations Class 2 of 8 Identifying our own biases, assumptions, and prejudices.How do such issues affect the therapeutic relationship with those we work with and for?Beginning our critical discussion of racism, prejudice, as well as of power and privilege. Readings Ridley, Chapter 1 and 2 Sue, D. W. et al (2007), “Racial Micoaggressions in Everyday Life,” American Psychologist, 62, 217-286 Watts, R.J. (1992).Elements of a Psychology of Human Diversity.Journal of Community Psychology, 20, 116-131. Questions for Thought 1.What have your own experiences been with race and racism, and in what context did these experiences occur (e.g., home, school, family, via the media, other ways, other places)? 2.Are there particular events in your life which illustrate the privilege(s) that you have (or do not have)? 3.With which ethnic group population would you experience your own highest level of countertransference and why? September 22 and 24, 2008 Socialization to Gender Differences Class Number 3 of 8 We will address the expectations placed on us by family, community, culture, and profession and society-at-large in relation to who we are and how we behave.We will discuss differences and commonalities in working with boys and girls, men and women. Readings Hyde, J.S. (2004).Half the Human Experience: The Psychology of Women.(6th Edition)New York:Houghton-Mifflin, Chapter 3, pp. 81-114,“Gender Stereotypes and Gender Differences” is required reading; recommended but not required also from this book areChapter 1 (“Introduction,” pp 1-28) and Chapter 16 (“The Psychology of Men,” pp 439-473). Questions for Thought 1.It is sometimes said that older women of color, “start the game with three strikes against them.”What does this mean and do you think it is true? 2. What other issues must also be considered here, for example: (i) gender and disability, (ii) gender and intersexuality, (iii) how gender roles may change with acculturation, or lack of it, for immigrants, refugees and their families as they mature in this new land. 3.Ordinary talk of gender differences all-too-often is of males and females, men and women, boys and girls...Who does that omit with what consequences for whom? 4.Who is invested in “the thin ideal,” and what of those persons who do not “meet” this ideal?Or wish to?Or wish not to? Selections from two Videos:Crashand Real Women Have Curves September 29 and October 1, 2008 The Three Cs:Class, Culture, and Color Class 4 of 8 How do the socially constructed concepts of class and culture intersect with color?What, for example, are the consequences of being born “too dark,” or “lower class,” or holding cultural values which are not “mainstream?”What are the images of beauty, success, and a whole host of other values and how do they relate to The Three Cs? Readings Weber, L, (1998).A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality.Psychology of Women Quarterly. 22, 13-32. Recommended but not Required American Psychological Association (2006), APA Task Force Report on Socio-Economic Status (SES) Questions for Thought 1.The APA report on SES uses poverty as a proxy for SES, and they admit that they have thus not spoken about ethnicity, education, health status.Furthermore, the report limits itself to the USA.As you consider these other broader issues, what do you think the relations are between multicultural psychological competence and practice and SES? 2.Some argue that discussing issues of race and ethnicity are “easy” compared to discussion, much less action, concerning issues of inequality (see Walter Michaels’s The Trouble With Diversity:How We Learned to Love Identity and Ignore Inequality).What might such a claim mean for your training and your clinical approach and practice? 3.When talking about the intersections of color and class we need to remember, in the USA, that the vast numerical majority of poor folks are white.Are they a “forgotten majority” in terms of mental health policy and practice or not?(See Kirby Moss’s The Color of Class:Poor Whites and the Paradox of Privilege). October 6 and 8, 2008 Power and Privilege:Who Has It, and Who (Almost-Always) Does Not Class Number 5 of 8 This class examines from multiple perspectives the concepts of power and privilege in the world in which we all live.So much of privilege is “natural” to some, and horridly debilitating to others, that clearly this pervasive social, psychological, and political phenomenon deserves careful examination.This class will break into small groups for discussion. Readings McIntosh, P.“White Privilege and Male Privilege” in Gender Basics, Tatum, B. T. (2004)."The Complexity of Identity," Chapter 2 in "Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?"New York, NY:Basic Books. Recommended But Not Required Wildman, S. and Davis.A., “Making Privilege Visible@ in Critical White Studies. Selections from two film Videos:The Color of Fearand Crash Questions for Thought 1Do the several spasms of anger in The Color of Fear cause you discomfort?Why? 2.Among your multiple cultural identities, which has assumed the greatest salience for you and why? 3.Is having privilege always a benefit?If not, why? 4Do you find the list that McIntosh provides accurate?Could you add to her list? October 13 and 15, 2008 CLASS DOES NOT MEET THIS WEEK October 20 and 22, 2008 The Birth and Persistence of Societal and Personal Homophobia Class 6 of 8 In a straight and largely-privileged world, what does it mean to be, or to become, a person who identifies as LGBT or for a person questioning their sexual orientation?We will examine issues of homophobia and heterosexism.Our discussion will also seek to address the false dichotomies that we quickly fall into if we think of only male and female when we speak of gender and gender differences. Readings DiPlacido, J. (1998).Minority stress among lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals.In G.M. Herek (Ed.), Stigma and sexual orientation: Understanding prejudice against lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals (pp.138 -159).Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Green, R-J.(2003). when therapists do not want their clients to be homosexual: A response to Rosik's article.JOURNAL OF MARITAL & FAMILY THERAPY, 29, (1), 29-38. Meyer, I.H., & Dean, L. (1998).Internalized homophobia, intimacy, and sexual behavior among gay and bisexual men.In G.M. Herek (Ed.), Stigma and sexual orientation: Understanding prejudice against lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals (pp. 160 -186).Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Videos: Attack on Gay America (from 20/20) and scenes from Brokeback Mountain Questions for Thought 1.What have your experiences been with homophobia, and in what context did these experiences occur (e.g., home, school, via the media, other ways, other places)? 2.Are their practices or activities or language that you think occur with (some) LGBT persons that have you felt unable to ask about or discuss?How might you ask or learn more about this? 3.Why do you think a goodly number of persons fervently and sincerely believe that tolerance of, or legalization of, same sex unions will undermine the culture, the society, the country?Why, following this same line of thought, are their some members of the LGBT community who seek the right to marry, and others who strongly believe that such an“inclusionary” view is a serious mistake that will only further marginalize LGBT persons? October 27 and 29, 2008 Bias, Prejudice and Countertransference Class 7 of 8 Given that some clients will be involuntarily assigned to you, and that you may have little or no choice but to see them (in practicum, or in other settings as well) then what?Is this a “gulf” that can or cannot be bridged?To aid in our discussion, we will be considering two films that we have already seen portions of, CRASH and HAVOC, and the issues around identity development that we can see in the characters in those films.In addition we will assess transference and countertransference issues that may arise for you when race, ethnicity, class, disability, and gender are part and parcel of the work. Readings Ridley, C. R. (1995).Overcoming Unintentional Racism in Counseling and Therapy.Pages 3-15, and 16-27. Sue, D.W. and Sue, D. Counseling the culturally different: theory and practice.Chapters 1 and 2 are Recommended but not required: Dobbins, J.E. and Skillings, J.H.Racism as a Clinical Syndrome.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 70 (1), January, 2000 Video: Sue, Derald, selections from “Barriers to effective multicultural counseling” Questions for Thought 1.What are your thoughts concerning Dr. Sue’s assertion that traditional counseling theories and techniques are virtually all both culture- and class-bound?What implications does this statement have for working with minority populations?For non-minority populations?For persons who are native born, and those who are not? 2.Might you feel anxiety if certain topics such as race (or gender, or disability, or sexual orientation) unexpectedly arise in the course of therapy?Did any of these feelings arise for you when considering the clinical and diagnostic issues that a psychologist working with any of the persons depicted in the films HAVOC and/or CRASH?How might these issues be addressed in therapy with your client and in your own regular supervision?If you are not sure what you would do when and if such issues arise, do you have a sense of what you would not want to do at such a time? November 3 and November 5, 2008 Class 8 of 8:Final Class of the Semester &Potluck Celebrating Our Diversity Your hopes, fears, and for working as a multicultural therapist in a highly diverse state, country, and world.Where have we been this semester, where we will journey next semester:reflections by you and by us.What might the remainder of your semester bring, as well as between semesters Holiday Break. Please bring with you to class some food to share which reflects some of your own background and, in addition,if possible, something(s)---a picture, book, or object--- that occasions a story about your background andyour past and, perhaps, your own hopes for the future. Readings Apfelbaum, Evan P.; Sommers, Samuel R.; Norton, Michael I. Seeing race and seeming racist? Evaluating strategic colorblindness in social interaction.. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2008; 95 (4): 918 Apfelbaum, Evan P.; Pauker, Kristin; Ambady, Nalini; Sommers, Samuel R.; Norton, Michael I. Learning (not) to talk about race: When older children underperform in social categorization.. Developmental Psychology, 2008; 44 (5): 1513 Questions for Thought 1.We will not see each other until we resume our class in January.In between that time and now you will have a semester break which might involve visiting with friends and family.In what ways do you think those (re)connections may be affected by our work in this class together? 2.The readings for this week talk about “colorblindness.”Is that (a) possible, and/or (b) desirable for you in your personal life?Is it possible and/or desirable you as a mental health professional in training? Farewells from each of us:we very much hope you have a wonderful semester and holiday break and we look forward to continuing to learn and work with you each all in the next semester of our journey together. SRB & RAA 9-19-09 INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING THE CSPP AIU LIBRARY E-RESERVE SYSTEM Electronic Course Reserves for IAD PSY 6121, Stephen Blum and Russell Arias: Sections A-1 and A-2, Fall Semester, 2008 What are Electronic Course Reserves? Electronic Course Reserves, or E-Reserves, are reserved course readings that are scanned, saved as PDF files, and made available through the Alliant Library Catalog.Access to these materials is pass worded so only students enrolled in the class may view, download, and print them from any computer on campus or from remote sites. What materials are placed on E-Reserve? E-Reserves are an extension of the traditional course reserve model.Appropriate materials are short items and may include journal articles, book chapters, conference proceedings, sample papers, diagrams, graphs, a poem from a collected work, a short story from an anthology, other non-print items. Materials not on E-reserve include entire books, dissertations and theses, entire technical reports, portions of works representing a major portion of complete work and other items that stand alone. Under the “fair use” provision of copyright law, copyrighted materials may not remain on electronic reserve indefinitely.At the end of each semester or year (for year-long courses), all E-Reserves will be deactivated. How to access Electronic Course Reserves
Syllabus: Intercultural Awareness Development
PSY 6121: 1.5 Units
Section A-1: Monday 1-4 PM and Section A-2 Wednesday 1-4 PM
Co-Faculty: XXXX and Stephen R. Blum Fall Semester, 2009
On Ghettos
So long as the most vulnerable people in our population are consigned to places that the rest of us will always shun and flee and view with fear, I am afraid that educational denial, medical [and mental health] and economic devastation, and aesthetic degradation will be virtually inevitable; and this, I am afraid, will be the case no matter what the individual or even shared achievements of small numbers of good human beings who are infused with the essential heroism... So long as there are ghetto neighborhoods and ghetto hospitals [and ghetto mental health services] and ghetto schools, I am convinced that there will be ghetto desperation, ghetto violence, and ghetto fear because a ghetto is itself an evil and unnatural construction. (p. 162)
Kozol, J. (1996). Amazing Grace: The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation. New York, NY: Harper Perennial. (Italics and inserted words in [brackets] in this quotation have been added by SRB).
On “Diversity Workshops,” One Important View
“I hate diversity workshops,” she [Michelle Obama] says. “Real change comes from having enough comfort to be really honest and say something very uncomfortable.”
Michelle Obama in a New York Times interview on 6/18/08.
On The Life and Death of Hope
La Esperanza muere ultima. (Hope dies last).
Course Description
The class is designed to facilitate an increased understanding of cultural identity; provide a forum to discuss and better understand cultural differences; explore the mechanisms and consequences of prejudice, oppression, and discrimination on minority groups; and to explore some of your personal beliefs about human differences. Ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, social class, and disability will be examined. The class will combine discussion, didactic presentations, video and experiential exercises in addressing these issues. The class will meet for eight sessions during the fall semester and again for eight sessions in the spring semester.
In this first semester of the class the emphasis will be on understanding these issues in light of what we have come to know about these topics in the literature, and what some of the social context and context of that growing and diverse literature are. In the second semester the emphasis will be on developing cultural competence in your present and future clinical work with multicultural populations including exploration of those socio-cultural and personal barriers to effective interventions.
Our Class Objectives
1. Having students become aware of themselves as cultural beings. Questions the class will present and assesses include: What is your own cultural heritage (if you think or wish you do or do not have one) and what role does it play or not in your life? How does your heritage influence your worldview and your values? What are the variations of cultural experiences and how do they impact self-perceptions and responses from others? (If you are one of the many persons who have no particular sense of a cultural heritage for yourself, what does that mean for you? Is it developmentally useful to acknowledge your history or, possibly, a (mixed?) blessing not to be particularly aware of and concerned with this area of your life?
2. Having students become aware of their own values, biases and assumptions about human behavior. Questions which the class will have presented and will assess include: What stereotypes, perceptions, and beliefs do you hold about culturally different groups? What influence does this have on how you relate to others, in your past, present, and potentially in your future as well? What are the worldviews you may bring to the clinical encounter and to your role as a professional psychologist? Without awareness and understanding of our own biases and assumptions psychologists may inadvertently assume that everyone shares (or should share) their worldview. When this happens, we may well become responsible for cultural oppression, whereby we impose our own values on our culturally different clients. The social and clinical consequences of such actions, however intended or not, need care examination.
3. Having students acquire knowledge and understanding of the worldview of minority or culturally different groups and clients. Questions which the class will have presented and will assess include: What biases, values, and assumptions about human behavior do many different cultural, ethnic groups hold? Can anyone say that there is an African American, or Asian American, or Latino/Hispanic, or Native American “worldview?” Do other culturally different groups (such as women, the disabled, persons who identify as LGBTQ [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and those who are questioning], etc. often also have different worldviews? Knowledge of the history, life experiences, cultural values of culturally different groups in the United States and, to the extent possible, internationally as well is crucial to becoming an effective culturally competent (and continuously questioning) professional clinical psychologist.
4. Having students develop an understanding of the operation of oppression and privilege. Questions which will be presented and which will be assessed include: Who are the oppressed and privileged in our society? How does this oppression and privilege manifest in individual lives and with what social and psychological effects? What are some of the long and short term psychological effects of oppression? Can oppression damage the client, and, if so, how? Can oppression be carried forward and manifested by the clinician, and, if so, how and with what possible outcomes?
5. Students will also be introduced to principles of culturally sensitive clinical practice that will include both an appreciative and a critical examination of the utilization of traditional clinical therapeutic approaches with these populations.
Evaluation Criteria for the Class
Your work is assessed based on three facets of requirements for the class: (a) your contributions to the class (35%), (b) your weekly Journal (35%), and (c) your term paper (30%). This class does not issue a letter grade; all students will receive either Credit or No Credit and not a standard letter grade.
Readings
Any article or book that is required or recommended reading and that is not available on-line has been placed on Reserve for this course in our library. Most of videos we use in the class are either easily available
Required Readings
1. Ridley, C. R. (2005). Overcoming Unintentional Racism in Counseling and Therapy. Second Edition, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
2. Lee, Wanda M.L., Blando, J.A., Mizelle, N.D. and Orozo, G.L. (2007). Introduction to Multicultural Counseling for Helping Professionals. Second Edition. New York: Routledge.
3 E-Reserves of articles noted on the weekly syllabus which follows.. We have sought to make maximum use of literature that is available online from the AIU E-Reserve systems in a full text pull-down fashion so that you may read anywhere anytime. This is all explained on an AIU E-Reserve FAQ sheet attached as the last page of this syllabus.
A Baker’s Dozen of Suggested Readings Which Are NOT Required (alphabetical by author)
1. Erdrich, Louise (2006). The Painted Drum. New York, NY: Harper Perennial.
2. Fadiman, A. (1998). The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. New York, NY: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux.
3. Goldstein, E.L. (2006). The Price of Whiteness: Jews, Race, and American Identity. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
4. Jensen, R. (2005). The Heart of Whiteness: Confronting Race, Racism and White Privilege. San Francisco, CA: City Lights Books.
5. Kivel, Paul (2002). Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work For Social Justice. Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Canada: New Society Publishers.
6. Michaels, W.B. (2006). The Trouble With Diversity: How We Learned to Love Identity and Ignore Inequality. New York, NY: Holt)
7. Parham, T.A., White, J.A., and Ajamu, A. (1999, or later edition). The Psychology of Blacks: An African Centered Perspective. New York, Prentice-Hall.
8. Piper, Mary (2002). The Middle of Everywhere: Helping Refugees Enter the American Community. New York, Harcourt.
9. Sue, D. W. (2003). Overcoming Our Racism: The Journey To Liberation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
10. Sue, D. W. and Sue, D. (2007). Counseling the culturally different: theory and practice. (5th Edition) New York: John Wiley and Sons. (Any of the multiple editions are fine).
11. Tatum, B. T. (2004). "Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?" New York, NY: Basic Books.
12. Tuan, M (2003). Forever Foreigners or Honorary Whites? The Asian Ethnic Experience Today. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
13. Wise, Tim (2005). White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son. Brooklyn, NYC, NY: Soft Skull Press, paperback.
Class Requirements
1. Attendance at class sessions is required, as is keeping current with assigned weekly readings. Class meetings combine faculty presentations, discussion of assigned readings, videos, and other activities. You will find that much of what occurs in the class, both in terms of content and tone, cannot be made up.
2. Missed Class: If you must miss a class session: (a) if possible please notify one of the instructors beforehand, and (b) please select a fellow student in the class to discuss the content of the class that you missed, and (c) see one of the instructors for a written assignment (which will be a two to three page paper covering the topic and reading for that session) that will be done in lieu of the class you missed.
3. We expect that all class members will participate in discussions in class. An important part of learning in a course like this is coming to understand ourselves and others in what may be a new or different ways. Toward this end, we encourage active and candid discussion. It is expected that students and faculty alike will all work hard to help create a class where such discussions can be undertaken with ongoing respect for all. We know that candid and expressive discussion is not a part of the learning process in some cultures, and we are sensitive to this fact. We strongly emphasize the need and value of your participation and, in turn, we promise to do our very best to both welcome and be sensitive to the diverse perspectives, cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds of the students in the class. If this poses what you believe will be a concern for you, please do see us as early as possible in the semester so that we may be aware early of any of these considerations.
It is important to emphasize the overarching importance of the confidentiality of our discussions. The value of confidentiality cannot be over-emphasized; it is a keystone of the profession. Anyone responsible for breaking the confidentiality of the classroom in any way and any setting will be immediately referred immediately by us to your Program Director as well as the Student Evaluation and Review Committee (SERC) with our strong recommendation that serious academic disciplinary action be taken immediately. Respect and value your classmates, both inside and outside of our class; all of you are fellow mental health professionals-in-training.
4. All students will maintain a weekly Journal of their class experiences, which centers on your reactions to the assigned readings, visual materials and the discussion and events of the class itself that week. Journal entries should be made as soon as possible after each class so that you include your fresh thoughts and reactions to class discussions, activities, and readings. We expect thoughtful and substantive content rather than quickly jotted notes; your journal entries should be a minimum three real paragraphs in length on average. Journals will be read only by course faculty, and they will be regarded as confidential documents. Journals will be turned in for review two times during the semester.
5. The first set of journals is due after our class has met for the 4th time, and should be turned in on or before October 6th & 8th .If you have composed your journals on a computer, e-submissions (to sblum@alliant.edu) are welcome; if you have handwritten them, turn in your hardcopy, whichever is most convenient for you. .
6. Students are required to write a short term paper, between 6-9 pages in length. Early planning for the preparation of the papers is essential, as you may be sure that the semester will fly by. When you prepare and write your papers, please remember to:
(a) Relate your paper to class readings, videos, discussions, and related activities, and
(b) The paper must be written in APA style, have citations as appropriate, and also an accompanying APA format bibliography, and
(c) Bloated prose and rhetorical filler are not at all valued and are not at all worthy of you, and, finally, your combination of candor, insight, thoughtful and careful writing, and self-examination are all paramount.
More About the Final Paper for the Fall Semester of Our IAD Class: A Brief Journey & A Small Immersion
Our last class meeting of the semester will be XXXX. Your mini-immersion paper, however, is not due until the last week of the semester that is by Friday XXXX. Early submissions are welcome, either in Stephen Blum’s faculty mail box, or as an e-mail attachment to sblum@alliant.edu .
The paper involves your taking a brief journey to a new world or worlds. To be more concrete: For the paper the student will recount his or her experiences in making entry into a different cultural setting than your own and different from any you have previously experienced. For example, a student who is not African-American might attend services and/or meetings of a youth group at an African-American church on several occasions; or a heterosexual student might spend time in a place or places that is frequented by members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) communities; or you might spend some time in a nursing home or retirement (assisted living) facility where the population is made up of residents who are much older than you AND of a different race or ethnicity than your own; or you might spend time in a Single Room Occupancy (SRO) hotel in someplace like the Tenderloin in San Francisco; or you might spend some time with homeless persons or homeless families (in or out of a shelter), etc. Electronic submissions are encouraged, hard copies welcome, whatever is easier for you.
As you prepare for the visits for your paper--- that is as you prepare to undertake your stepping outside of what is familiar for you---please keep in mind: you are not to be either a patronizing or intrusive voyeur, nor are you a “clinician,” nor are you to be the person who sees themselves or is seen as either a therapist, an anthropologist or field researcher. Your goal, instead, is to place yourself in settings and have interactions such that you come to know a bit more about what for you were heretofore quite or totally unfamiliar and thence to get a feeling for the lives and worlds of persons and groups that are substantially different from your own and persons you know. You are to stretch yourself---while being and staying safe! ---and thus expand what you know, see and feel and learn new things from new people in new settings. For a large gathering (e.g., the Folsom Street Fair or similar events,) we ask that you make the journey alone, do not take pictures, and not be a “tourist.” Do feel free to meet up with friends after you have been alone at the event for some time. For smaller settings you need not make your voyage(s) alone. No joint-author papers, you are the sole author. .
Your faculty are all-too aware of the constraints which will not allow us to devote time to the clinical implication of working with several other populations, not least of whom are Native Americans; immigrants from all over the world; persons with more than one ethnic, cultural background; victims of social or political events such as “ethnic cleansing,” or working with persons from non-Western cultures, inside or outside of their native land. If you should wish to do your Final Reflection Paper concerning one of these “minority” groups (some of these persons, are, in fact, often the “majority” in their own countries), that is both welcome and encouraged. See us if you have questions or need assistance.
Questions for Thought
In each of the weekly sessions which are described below you will find a sub-heading called Questions for Thought. These questions relate to the topic that week and are included to push your thinking about these issues. The weekly Questions For Thought are not an additional assignment. They may guide some of your thinking as you prepare your journal entries and in formulating your thoughts that will be in your final reflection paper. Some students have used one or more of those Questions for Thought as the theme or starting point for their journal entries; that choice is yours. Use the Questions for Thought as you wish, and we hope you find them helpful in the self-questioning process.
Our Office Hours
We encourage students to make appointments to meet with us should they wish. While we hope that students would feel comfortable addressing many questions and concerns in class discussions, we also know that you may wish to also have the opportunity to have a private meeting with one or both faculty members.
We are pleased to meet with you in the office which we share, either by appointment, by seeing us or by e-mail to work out and set up a mutually convenient appointment time.
XXXX Stephen R. Blum, Ph.D.
XXXX Campus Office: Room 128
Campus Phone: 415-955-2132
E-mail: sblum@alliant.edu
Providing for Additional Student Needs: Accommodations
We are pleased to facilitate work in this class for any of our students in need of accommodations, by virtue of a disability or other circumstance. You are urged to see us in confidence as early in the semester as possible so that we might be aware of your circumstances and aid you in making arrangements to assure your success in the class and the University.
It is our pleasure to work closely with Dr. Nina Ghiselli, the University Disability Services Coordinator (she may be reached directly in her office in Room 116, or by phone at 415-955-2164 or via e-mail, nghiselli@alliant.edu ). Please do see us AND Dr. Ghiselli at your earliest convenience with any questions you may have in this regard.
Class Meeting Dates, Topics, and Reading Assignments
Intercultural Awareness Development
PSY 6121: 3 Units
Section A-1: Monday 1-4 PM
And
Section A-2 Wednesday 1-4 PM
Fall Semester, 2009
September 8, 2008
Introduction and Overview
Class Number 1 of 8
Sharing some of our hopes and fears for the class. Introduction of ourselves through the prism of our personal cultural histories and memories. Introduction to the main themes of the class: prejudice; stereotypical thinking, beliefs, and actions. Exploring your feelings which doubtlessly include concerns that “I have done all this before in lots of classes,” or “how can I seek to be both PC and not PC at the same time and not embarrass the hell out of myself” or “this is kinda scary.” An introduction to some of the central themes of the class which will include exploring our own countertransference issues; and the understanding, use, and abuse of power and privilege that can occur when working with persons who are (often quite) different than us.
Readings
1. Scan the book by Ridley
2. Kutchins, H., Kirk, S.A., Making Us Crazy: DSM: The Psychiatric Bible and the Creation of Mental Disorders, Chapter 2, "The Enduring Legacy of Racism in the Diagnosis of Mental Disorders," (New York: The Free Press, 1997), pp 200-237.
Questions for Thought
1. Seek to answer for yourself the question: “My major fears or hesitancy about a class like this is what?” Might your answer to this question change topic by topic and week by week during the course?
2. Why does this class, and the profession itself at present, contain so few persons of color, and notably also so few males, much less even fewer males of color?
3. If you were to pose a single difficult challenge to yourself for this class to developing your own sense of multicultural competence, what would it be?
September 15 and 17, 2008
Prejudice and Countertransference With Persons, Beliefs, and Behaviors (Sometimes Vastly) Different Than Our Own Prior Experiences and Our Own (Acknowledged or Unacknowledged) Expectations
Class 2 of 8
Identifying our own biases, assumptions, and prejudices. How do such issues affect the therapeutic relationship with those we work with and for? Beginning our critical discussion of racism, prejudice, as well as of power and privilege.
Readings
Ridley, Chapter 1 and 2
Sue, D. W. et al (2007), “Racial Micoaggressions in Everyday Life,” American Psychologist, 62, 217-286
Watts, R.J. (1992). Elements of a Psychology of Human Diversity. Journal of Community Psychology, 20, 116-131.
Questions for Thought
1. What have your own experiences been with race and racism, and in what context did these experiences occur (e.g., home, school, family, via the media, other ways, other places)?
2. Are there particular events in your life which illustrate the privilege(s) that you have (or do not have)?
3. With which ethnic group population would you experience your own highest level of countertransference and why?
September 22 and 24, 2008
Socialization to Gender Differences
Class Number 3 of 8
We will address the expectations placed on us by family, community, culture, and profession and society-at-large in relation to who we are and how we behave. We will discuss differences and commonalities in working with boys and girls, men and women.
Readings
Hyde, J.S. (2004). Half the Human Experience: The Psychology of Women. (6th Edition) New York: Houghton-Mifflin, Chapter 3, pp. 81-114, “Gender Stereotypes and Gender Differences” is required reading; recommended but not required also from this book are Chapter 1 (“Introduction,” pp 1-28) and Chapter 16 (“The Psychology of Men,” pp 439-473).
Questions for Thought
1. It is sometimes said that older women of color, “start the game with three strikes against them.” What does this mean and do you think it is true?
2. What other issues must also be considered here, for example: (i) gender and disability, (ii) gender and intersexuality, (iii) how gender roles may change with acculturation, or lack of it, for immigrants, refugees and their families as they mature in this new land.
3. Ordinary talk of gender differences all-too-often is of males and females, men and women, boys and girls... Who does that omit with what consequences for whom?
4. Who is invested in “the thin ideal,” and what of those persons who do not “meet” this ideal? Or wish to? Or wish not to?
Selections from two Videos: Crash and Real Women Have Curves
September 29 and October 1, 2008
The Three Cs: Class, Culture, and Color
Class 4 of 8
How do the socially constructed concepts of class and culture intersect with color? What, for example, are the consequences of being born “too dark,” or “lower class,” or holding cultural values which are not “mainstream?” What are the images of beauty, success, and a whole host of other values and how do they relate to The Three Cs?
Readings
Weber, L, (1998). A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality. Psychology of Women Quarterly. 22, 13-32.
Recommended but not Required
American Psychological Association (2006), APA Task Force Report on Socio-Economic Status (SES)
Questions for Thought
1. The APA report on SES uses poverty as a proxy for SES, and they admit that they have thus not spoken about ethnicity, education, health status. Furthermore, the report limits itself to the USA. As you consider these other broader issues, what do you think the relations are between multicultural psychological competence and practice and SES?
2. Some argue that discussing issues of race and ethnicity are “easy” compared to discussion, much less action, concerning issues of inequality (see Walter Michaels’s The Trouble With Diversity: How We Learned to Love Identity and Ignore Inequality). What might such a claim mean for your training and your clinical approach and practice?
3. When talking about the intersections of color and class we need to remember, in the USA, that the vast numerical majority of poor folks are white. Are they a “forgotten majority” in terms of mental health policy and practice or not? (See Kirby Moss’s The Color of Class: Poor Whites and the Paradox of Privilege).
October 6 and 8, 2008
Power and Privilege: Who Has It, and Who (Almost-Always) Does Not
Class Number 5 of 8
This class examines from multiple perspectives the concepts of power and privilege in the world in which we all live. So much of privilege is “natural” to some, and horridly debilitating to others, that clearly this pervasive social, psychological, and political phenomenon deserves careful examination. This class will break into small groups for discussion.
Readings
McIntosh, P. “White Privilege and Male Privilege” in Gender Basics,
Tatum, B. T. (2004). "The Complexity of Identity," Chapter 2 in "Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?" New York, NY: Basic Books.
Recommended But Not Required
Wildman, S. and Davis. A., “Making Privilege Visible@ in Critical White Studies.
Selections from two film Videos: The Color of Fear and Crash
Questions for Thought
1 Do the several spasms of anger in The Color of Fear cause you discomfort? Why?
2. Among your multiple cultural identities, which has assumed the greatest salience for you and why?
3. Is having privilege always a benefit? If not, why?
4 Do you find the list that McIntosh provides accurate? Could you add to her list?
October 13 and 15, 2008
CLASS DOES NOT MEET THIS WEEK
October 20 and 22, 2008
The Birth and Persistence of Societal and Personal Homophobia
Class 6 of 8
In a straight and largely-privileged world, what does it mean to be, or to become, a person who identifies as LGBT or for a person questioning their sexual orientation? We will examine issues of homophobia and heterosexism. Our discussion will also seek to address the false dichotomies that we quickly fall into if we think of only male and female when we speak of gender and gender differences.
Readings
DiPlacido, J. (1998). Minority stress among lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals. In G.M. Herek (Ed.), Stigma and sexual orientation: Understanding prejudice against lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals (pp.138 -159). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Green, R-J. (2003). when therapists do not want their clients to be homosexual: A response to Rosik's article. JOURNAL OF MARITAL & FAMILY THERAPY, 29, (1), 29-38.
Meyer, I.H., & Dean, L. (1998). Internalized homophobia, intimacy, and sexual behavior among gay and bisexual men. In G.M. Herek (Ed.), Stigma and sexual orientation: Understanding prejudice against lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals (pp. 160 -186). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Videos: Attack on Gay America (from 20/20) and scenes from Brokeback Mountain
Questions for Thought
1. What have your experiences been with homophobia, and in what context did these experiences occur (e.g., home, school, via the media, other ways, other places)?
2. Are their practices or activities or language that you think occur with (some) LGBT persons that have you felt unable to ask about or discuss? How might you ask or learn more about this?
3. Why do you think a goodly number of persons fervently and sincerely believe that tolerance of, or legalization of, same sex unions will undermine the culture, the society, the country? Why, following this same line of thought, are their some members of the LGBT community who seek the right to marry, and others who strongly believe that such an “inclusionary” view is a serious mistake that will only further marginalize LGBT persons?
October 27 and 29, 2008
Bias, Prejudice and Countertransference
Class 7 of 8
Given that some clients will be involuntarily assigned to you, and that you may have little or no choice but to see them (in practicum, or in other settings as well) then what? Is this a “gulf” that can or cannot be bridged? To aid in our discussion, we will be considering two films that we have already seen portions of, CRASH and HAVOC, and the issues around identity development that we can see in the characters in those films. In addition we will assess transference and countertransference issues that may arise for you when race, ethnicity, class, disability, and gender are part and parcel of the work.
Readings
Ridley, C. R. (1995). Overcoming Unintentional Racism in Counseling and Therapy. Pages 3-15, and 16-27.
Sue, D.W. and Sue, D. Counseling the culturally different: theory and practice. Chapters 1 and 2 are Recommended but not required:
Dobbins, J.E. and Skillings, J.H. Racism as a Clinical Syndrome. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 70 (1), January, 2000
Video: Sue, Derald, selections from “Barriers to effective multicultural counseling”
Questions for Thought
1. What are your thoughts concerning Dr. Sue’s assertion that traditional counseling theories and techniques are virtually all both culture- and class-bound? What implications does this statement have for working with minority populations? For non-minority populations? For persons who are native born, and those who are not?
2. Might you feel anxiety if certain topics such as race (or gender, or disability, or sexual orientation) unexpectedly arise in the course of therapy? Did any of these feelings arise for you when considering the clinical and diagnostic issues that a psychologist working with any of the persons depicted in the films HAVOC and/or CRASH? How might these issues be addressed in therapy with your client and in your own regular supervision? If you are not sure what you would do when and if such issues arise, do you have a sense of what you would not want to do at such a time?
November 3 and November 5, 2008
Class 8 of 8: Final Class of the Semester &Potluck Celebrating Our Diversity
Your hopes, fears, and for working as a multicultural therapist in a highly diverse state, country, and world. Where have we been this semester, where we will journey next semester: reflections by you and by us. What might the remainder of your semester bring, as well as between semesters Holiday Break.
Please bring with you to class some food to share which reflects some of your own background and, in addition, if possible, something(s)---a picture, book, or object--- that occasions a story about your background and your past and, perhaps, your own hopes for the future.
Readings
Apfelbaum, Evan P.; Sommers, Samuel R.; Norton, Michael I. Seeing race and seeming racist? Evaluating strategic colorblindness in social interaction.. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2008; 95 (4): 918
Apfelbaum, Evan P.; Pauker, Kristin; Ambady, Nalini; Sommers, Samuel R.; Norton, Michael I. Learning (not) to talk about race: When older children underperform in social categorization.. Developmental Psychology, 2008; 44 (5): 1513
Questions for Thought
1. We will not see each other until we resume our class in January. In between that time and now you will have a semester break which might involve visiting with friends and family. In what ways do you think those (re)connections may be affected by our work in this class together?
2. The readings for this week talk about “colorblindness.” Is that (a) possible, and/or (b) desirable for you in your personal life? Is it possible and/or desirable you as a mental health professional in training?
Farewells from each of us: we very much hope you have a wonderful semester and holiday break and we look forward to continuing to learn and work with you each all in the next semester of our journey together.
SRB & RAA 9-19-09
INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING THE CSPP AIU LIBRARY E-RESERVE SYSTEM
Electronic Course Reserves for IAD PSY 6121, Stephen Blum and Russell Arias: Sections A-1 and A-2, Fall Semester, 2008
What are Electronic Course Reserves?
Electronic Course Reserves, or E-Reserves, are reserved course readings that are scanned, saved as PDF files, and made available through the Alliant Library Catalog. Access to these materials is pass worded so only students enrolled in the class may view, download, and print them from any computer on campus or from remote sites.
What materials are placed on E-Reserve?
E-Reserves are an extension of the traditional course reserve model. Appropriate materials are short items and may include journal articles, book chapters, conference proceedings, sample papers, diagrams, graphs, a poem from a collected work, a short story from an anthology, other non-print items.
Materials not on E-reserve include entire books, dissertations and theses, entire technical reports, portions of works representing a major portion of complete work and other items that stand alone.
Under the “fair use” provision of copyright law, copyrighted materials may not remain on electronic reserve indefinitely. At the end of each semester or year (for year-long courses), all E-Reserves will be deactivated.
How to access Electronic Course Reserves
Please note that you need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view E-Reserve files. You can download a free latest version of Adobe Reader at: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html